Brown And Fast British Open

HOYLAKE, ENGLAND — A recent hot and dry spell has scorched the turf at Royal Liverpool, which makes drives go much longer.

It has been 39 years since Royal Liverpool was the site of a British Open, and it seems it might have been that long since it last rained here.

Don't adjust the television when you tune into the tournament. All you'll see is various stages of brown. The only green on the course is American dollars being exchanged for British pounds.

A recent, uncharacteristic hot and dry spell has left Royal Liverpool resembling something out of the Dust Bowl during the Depression. The turf is so parched the scoreboards are posting fire alerts, hardly an idle threat with the way people smoke around here.

There will be plenty of heat when the British Open begins today. They don't water the fairways on links courses, so this Open will be golf's version of the Indianapolis 500.

The tournament will be played at three speeds: fast, faster and we're ready for takeoff. The fairways are interstate asphalt hard. The balls aren't just bouncing when they hit the ground, they are being catapulted.

There have been stories of drives bounding to 400 yards. Adam Scott hit a 250-yard 5-iron. Even local favorite son Paul McCartney, 64, probably could muster a 300-yard drive. And the ex-Beatle doesn't even play golf.

The competitors will feel as if they are playing from the front tees at their local muni. The card says Royal Liverpool is a par 72, 7,258-yard layout. The reality is something else.

"Although it's 7,200-some yards on the card, it must be playing about 5,500 in real terms," said Colin Montgomerie. "This is the driest links course we've ever come to."

Drives are getting 60-80 yards of roll. The conditions are different from those to which U.S. golfers are accustomed.

"A firm golf course would be running five yards," said U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy. "No mud on the ball is firm."

The conditions have raised questions regarding Royal Liverpool's worthiness as an Open course.

This year's is the 11th Open here. Bobby Jones won here during his Grand Slam run in 1930. At the last one, in 1967, Roberto De Vicenzo of Argentina held off Jack Nicklaus to win the title. The tournament hadn't returned until this year.

Golf Digest architecture critic Ron Whitten believes it should have stayed away. He torched the place in his review, calling it too easy for today's players.

"It isn't a blast from the past, it's a thing of the past," he wrote.

Whitten called the course "Royal O.B." because of out-of-bounds areas on the third and 18th holes. They almost look as if somebody built a long-running bump and stuck white stakes in the fairway. The concept is such that a windmill would not look out of place.

Indeed, a good portion of the course is flatter than an Illinois cornfield. Many of the holes lack definition. It stands in stark contrast to Royal Birkdale, a traditional Open venue just down the road that features dramatic mounds and dunes.

Still, Royal Liverpool has some supporters. Phil Mickelson has been here since early last week, studying every inch of the course.

"I think it's just terrific," said Mickelson. "The bunkers are so well placed in the movement of the holes and the little intricacies. The more I played here, I really appreciate how well this course is designed."

Mickelson believes the conditions will enhance the design this week. He said players could have as many as three options off the tee on some holes: driver, long iron, or a shorter iron for safe placement in the fairway.

Ernie Els said the temptation will be to try to overpower the course with the driver. That could be a fatal mistake given Liverpool's many bunkers.

"A lot of times I wanted to go with a driver, and (caddie Ricci Roberts) is like, 'No, no, take this iron, just get it in play,' " said Els. "On the second (hole) there's bunkers to the right, so you can have a go at it. But if you miss the shot you're making bogey. So there's a lot of risk/reward on this course, which makes it a really wonderful layout."

Tiger Woods relishes it. Shot making and creativity, two features that have become almost extinct in the American game, will be at a premium this week.

"We don't play golf courses like this each and every week," said Woods. "And we certainly don't ever play a golf course this fast. It's not like you can go out there and hit a marginal shot and expect it to be OK. You come in with a wrong spin in the fairways or even on the greens, you're going to pay for that."

The end result should be an unpredictable tournament, one that will be "open" in the truest way. Luke Donald said the dry conditions likely will negate much of the advantage power players have because everyone will be hitting it long.

If the wind doesn't blow, it could be a birdie bonanza. The wind always is the unknown variable in an Open.

The forecast calls for cooler temperatures and some rain today. That might soften the greens a bit, but it probably would take 40 days of showers to take the cement out of the fairways.

Gentlemen, start your engines. Get ready for a brown and fast British Open. *